Italy's Giacomel aims to make the most of Boe's absence at Milano-Cortina

STOCKHOLM — The retirement of dominant Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Boe has left the men's biathlon field for the 2026 Winter Olympics wide open, and Italian fans will be hoping the in-form Tommaso Giacomel can seize the moment in Milano-Cortina 2026.

Boe blew away the field four years ago in Beijing, winning four gold medals in the six men's biathlon events he took part in, but his decision to quit the sport at the end of last season has opened the door for Giacomel, who is currently the world's top-ranked male biathlete.

"He (Giacomel) has shown that he is capable of it in the last few weeks but it won't be easy," Swedish former Olympic champion Mona Brorsson, who will cover the Games as an expert commentator for broadcaster SVT, told Reuters.

"He's really fast on the shooting range and that's important, it's a strength he has. But an Olympics at his home venue, we'll see how he handles it and if he can handle the mental pressure."

The 35-year-old Brorsson, who won a silver medal in the relay at her first Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018 before going on to win gold in the same event four years later, said that the Italians were peaking at the right time for the Olympic competitions.

"The whole Italian team has made a clear leap this year, even the biathletes who don't have a chance at the podium but they've really improved, especially on the women's side — if they have a day where everything works out, they could win a medal in a relay," Brorsson said.

Combining skiing and shooting, biathlon has its roots in the military training done by Norwegian soldiers and the nation has long been a dominant force, but the retirement of Boe has seen a shift in the sport's power dynamics.

Strong teams

Traditional superpowers such as Norway and Sweden are both sending strong teams to Milano-Cortina, but continental nations such as France and Italy will also fancy their chances at winning Olympic gold.

"There is Giacomel from Italy, then Erik Perrot of France and (Sweden's) Sebastian Samuelsson — and I say Sebastian not because I'm biased but because I truly believe he has what it takes to do it,"Brorsson said.

"Lou Jeanmonnot from France is the favorite in the women's competition this year, she has delivered on such a high level. Even when she doesn't have her best days, she is still up there and fighting for it.

"There's also Suvi Minkkinen from Finland; I didn't think I would say that but she is definitely one of the best, and then we have an incredibly strong Swedish team."

Having competed many times at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena in her career, Brorsson will swap her rifle for a microphone this time around as she travels to northern Italy, close to the border with Austria, to cover the Games.

"You have a competition there every year, they have a really nice arena and it's always full, it's always loud, so there will be a huge difference if you compare it to the last two Olympics, where there was hardly any fans," Brorsson said.

"The audience that was there (at the last two Olympics) was not really a biathlon crowd, and now there will be real biathlon fans. It will be completely crazy, I can see it in front of me," she added.

The biathlete-turned-broadcaster said how the Italians handled the pressure in front of their home crowd would be key to their success.

"It's a very stressful situation, the whole season is about the Olympics, so it's really about coming to the Olympics with energy and making sure you haven't emptied the tank before you get there."

Reuters